


Friends on the Other Side

by hyperInactive



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: also sorry if you like sympathetic deceit bc he is not in this, anyway im sorry for the virgil angst but she started it and i just had to finish it, happy birthday to the most wonderful person whom i love so very much, i love my dark strange son, i swore i wasnt gonna write for this fandom but that got yeeted out the window pretty fast, this is based off of her animatic please go watch it shes lovely and so very skilled
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-28 21:03:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18764173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperInactive/pseuds/hyperInactive
Summary: based off of the animatic on youtube by my Wonderful Lovely Skilled Friend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL0teX5oows)When Patton is injured by Deceit, Virgil takes it upon himself to confront the snake and get him to heal Thomas's Morality.  But Deceit won't give in that easily.  What will Virgil give up in order to save Patton?





	1. Why Did You Say 'Anything'?

**Author's Note:**

> So like the summary says, this is based on my amazing friend's animatic to Thomas's mashup of villain songs, so please please go support her with the link in the summary!!!  
> The first chapter is a written version of her animatic, which is so good please watch it shes so creative, and then the other two chapters will be my own interpretation of how i thought it should continue!  
> I also wrote this for her birthday so i hope you like it <3
> 
> Quick note tho: using song lyrics in dialogue is Awkward and so i did take quite a few liberties with that, but some parts are still a little,,,,,,y'know, because of the lyrics. But i hope that isn't too prominent :)

Virgil couldn’t help but blame himself for this.  He knew Patton wouldn’t want him to, he would say something cheery, call him ‘kiddo’, and try and get Virgil to hug him.  Offer him cookies, or a movie night. But that was exactly the reason Virgil blamed himself. Because Patton couldn’t do those things.  And Virgil should have...should have done  _ something _ .  Anything.  He was the protector, after all.  

 

“Patton!” He heard Logan and Roman come up behind him, noticing what Virgil had seen.  What was making Virgil’s breath come in pants, and his mind work overtime on explanations.  Patton was lying on the ground, head lolled to the side, and he wasn’t moving. Virgil, ever the observant one, noticed that Patton was still breathing...slowly.  And not very much. This was...very bad. Virgil stiffened, a pit forming in his stomach as he noticed a crucial detail. Suddenly, he realized what had happened. 

 

There, on Patton’s wrist, was a telltale mark.  Two puncture wounds, oozing a dirty green substance, the same color crawling through Patton’s veins.  The color of mold, of sewage, of...a snake. Virgil felt his hand curl into a fist as the other two knelt hurriedly by Patton’s side.  Couldn’t they see? It was all too obvious what had happened to Patton. 

 

“That treacherous snake!” So Roman had noticed.  Virgil saw him start to shake, before composing himself and whirling to face Logan.  “I’ll run him through!”

 

“He doesn’t have long.” Logan’s voice was the softest Virgil had ever heard it.  As much as he claimed to not feel emotion...it was obvious that he was terrified.  His hand was pressed to the side of Patton’s neck, checking hurriedly for a pulse that was horrifyingly faint.  “We need an antidote.”

 

Antidote.  The word itself sent a chill down Virgil’s spine, his eyes widening in horror.  There was only one place to go, one person who could undo this. 

 

“How?” He heard Roman ask, his voice sounding like it was muffled.  

 

“I don’t know…” The voice that answered back was muttered and hesitant.  Logan? Logan had never been...unsure before, he was  _ logic _ .  Was he overlooking the obvious again?  Because it was unfortunately all too clear to Virgil what had to happen.  Where he needed to go. Virgil never thought he would ever be going to the dark side of Thomas’s mind ever again.  He never wanted to. But he knew that it was the only way. Logan, ever the pragmatist, immediately started taking a sample of the venom, no doubt trying to make a cure himself.  But it wouldn’t work. Somehow, Virgil just knew. 

 

He also knew he was probably playing right into that liar’s hands.  But it was for Patton. Virgil owed Patton...so much. He was terrified, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest as he turned and walked away from the other three, but he just kept picturing Patton.  Unconscious. Dying. 

 

Virgil had to save him.  He started to run.

 

“You need to cure him!” He shouted, barging into the room he never wanted to see again.  The route to the dark parts of Thomas’s mind was, unfortunately, as familiar as ever, and it didn’t take him long to reach the door labeled ‘Deceit’.  The snake-eyed side himself was sitting down, his chin resting on his hand as he looked at Virgil smugly. The glint in his yellow eye made Virgil want to punch him.  But also run away. For Patton, he did neither. 

 

“Oh, Virgil,” Deceit blinked slowly at him, feigning surprise, “I didn’t sssee you there.”

 

He hissed the ‘s’ sound, his eye glowing dangerously, but Virgil just fisted his hands in his hoodie sleeves and stepped forward.  

 

“Thomas needs his morality!” He insisted, glaring daggers at Deceit.  If Patton died...who even knew what would happen to Thomas. Who knew what sides would suddenly gain too much power.  Deceit grinned, sharp teeth glinting. 

 

“Please,” he said, “I’ve already begun skewing Thomas’s moral compass.  This little...accident with Patton only speeds up the process.”

 

Virgil felt his heart skip a beat.  Deceit wasn’t listening. Of course he wasn’t.  He did this on purpose, he probably wanted the mind palace to erupt into chaos.  After all, in chaos, lying reigns supreme. There was only one way to get Deceit to listen, and that was to speak his language.  

 

“I’ll give you anything you want!” Virgil regretted the words immediately.  Why did he do that? Why did he say that? You  _ never  _ offer ‘anything’.  What was Deceit going to ask from him?  Whatever it was, of course, Virgil would do it.  There was no taking it back now. The only question was...what did Deceit want?  “Just...heal Patton.”

 

A beat passed, the silence crushing Virgil.  

 

“Anything?” The word dragged on, sending a shudder down Virgil’s spine as the grin widened slowly across Deceit’s face.  The lights around him seemed to dim. He snapped his fingers, and a table appeared in between them. 

 

“You’re in my world now, Virgil, not your world,” Deceit said, tenting his fingers together and leveling his stare at Virgil.  He knew exactly how nervous eye contact made him. “And I’ve got...friends on the other side.”

 

Virgil could hear them now, the voices of the others.  The other, darker shades of Thomas’s mind that he had ripped himself away from.  They echoed Deceit, taunting and hissing and threatening. They must hate Virgil.  But he refused to act on the fear coursing through his veins. 

 

“Sit down at my table,” Deceit said, and hands pushed Virgil down into a chair.  He looked around, but he couldn't see the side that had touched him, he couldn’t tell where they were.  The room was too dark, the only light being the flickering candle that Deceit had put on the table. “Put your mind at ease.  If you just relax it will enable me to do... _ anything _ I please.”

 

It took everything in Virgil to repress his snort of laughter.  Him? Relax? How could Deceit say that to him with a straight face?  If this hadn’t been such an important situation, Virgil would have shot back with a joke about how he was literally  _ anxiety _ , how could Deceit expect him to relax.  But as it was, he kept his mouth shut as Deceit pulled a deck of cards from thin air.  He shuffled them, not breaking his eye contact with Virgil until he reached down to pull the top card and slide it across the table.  

“I can read your future, Virgil,” Deceit taunted, revealing the image on the card.  Virgil took a breath and glanced down. The card depicted Patton because what the hell else would Deceit show him.  The Patton on the card was lying on the ground, the sickly green venom arcing through his veins all the way up his arms and up his neck, disfiguring his face into a grimace of pain.  The border around him was clearly a coffin, and a snake was wrapped around it to complete the obvious message of the card. Deceit then grabbed the card again and flipped it over, revealing instead an image of Patton at his best.  Smiles and sunshine, a bright sparkle in his eyes. Deceit stared intently at Virgil as he spoke, “And I can change it, too.” 

 

He was lording his position right now, the only one capable of saving Patton, but the cause of his fate.  Holding Patton’s life in his hands. As Logan would put it, like the ouroboros snake eating its own tail, but this time Deceit  _ meant  _ to be the cause of it.  

 

“I see your heart,” Deceit pulled the card back and drew another, holding it up to the light, “and soul.”  This one was Virgil, glowing purple with a beating heart in his chest, but a frown still on his face. As Deceit flipped the card, the small Virgil became grey and empty, the heart shattered.  “I can make your wildest dreams come true.” Deceit pulled the card back, his eyes never leaving Virgil. 

 

“And how can you do that?” Virgil didn’t know where he got the strength to speak, but the words didn’t shake as much as he was expecting.  Deceit chuckled, shaking his head. 

 

“I’m stronger than you think.  Not to mention, there’s more strength in numbers, and I have  _ friends _ on the other side.”  The echoing voices of the darker sides came back, swarming Virgil and blocking him from hearing the sudden shout from outside.  

 

But Deceit heard it.  He heard it loud and clear, and it brought a smug smile to his face.

 

“Roman!” It was Logan, and no doubt the other one wasn’t far behind.  But they would be too late. Deceit almost had what he wanted. He listened more, keeping his eyes on Virgil as the anxious side looked at the ground in thought.  

 

“He didn’t…” There was Roman.  Right on time. Deceit stood, the table vanishing as he strode towards Virgil.  Time to speed things up a bit. 

 

“You know what I want.” Deceit said, watching as Virgil glanced up at him in suspicion.  His eyes were clouded. Good. 

 

Virgil felt his heart pick up speed again.  Deceit couldn’t mean…

 

“What?” He insisted.  He needed to hear it, he couldn’t let his worst thoughts run wild about this.  Deceit’s smile grew tense, annoyed. 

 

“You don’t belong up there,  _ Virgil _ .  So again,  _ you know what I want _ .”  His voice was no longer a convincing honeyed tone, but a demand.  He held out his hand. Virgil stared at it. That was what he was afraid Deceit wanted.  He knew that he didn’t truly belong with the ‘Light Sides’, but...they had accepted him, right?  Despite his origins? That had to mean something. Giving up the Light he had carefully crafted, that the others had helped him with, the Light that made him  _ Virgil _ …

 

Well the answer was obvious, wasn’t it?  This was for Patton. Patton had helped Virgil the most in becoming ‘lighter’, in drawing away the darkness that clung desperately to his bones and his soul.  That was the most important thing anyone had ever done for him. Virgil would give everything for Patton. Virgil raised his own hand to shake Deceit’s, but hesitated for just one more second.  Just one second too long. 

 

The door behind him slammed open, a familiar loud voice filling the room as Roman shouted for him to stop.  Virgil stiffened. Would they make him stop? Would they drag him from the room, separate him from Deceit, let Patton die?  Deceit didn’t want anything from them. But he wanted something from Virgil. And as much as Virgil didn’t want to give it up, he still knew he needed to save Patton.  

 

“Virgil, stop!  You  _ know  _ Deceit, you know his lies!” Roman called, his sword drawn and pointed at the snake-faced side standing menacingly in front of Virgil.  “We need to take care of him for good this time, he needs to be locked away.”

 

“You know Deceit only seeks to raise himself higher,” Logan added, his hand busying itself with fixing his glasses, but it was clear that his other hand was lightly shaking.  “He seeks for himself to get ahead, nothing else.”

 

They didn’t understand.  If they locked Deceit away, he wouldn’t heal Patton.  If they killed him, then Patton was certainly dead. Deceit turned his eyes back to Virgil, who could feel his stare burning into him.  Roman wouldn’t attack with Virgil so close, and so he was on his own. It was his decision. 

 

But was it really?  It wasn’t a  _ decision _ at all.  Virgil or Patton.  Patton or Virgil. 

 

Morality.  Or  _ anxiety _ .  

 

Virgil knew deep down that Thomas needed him.  They had established that fact the last time he had left.  But if anyone tried to argue that he was more important than Patton...Virgil would probably laugh in their face.  Virgil turned back to Deceit. Deceit smiled, a little softer, a little more...Patton-like. Virgil felt his heart seize.  

 

He heard Roman and Logan crying out for him to stop as he raised his hand again, but he knew he was doing the right thing.  Patton was needed more than Virgil. Patton would take care of Thomas. And maybe...maybe in a few years or so, Virgil could try and rebuild his Light again.  

 

The instant his hand touched Deceit’s, the other side’s smile turned wicked, and Virgil’s hand burned.  He collapsed to his knees, his hand covered in a black, tar-like substance, slowly inching and spreading across his skin like magma.  It burned, and Virgil barely bit back a scream of pain as he clutched his arm close to his chest. So this was what darkness felt like.  He had managed to forget. He was vaguely aware that Roman and Logan had been blasted backwards, but the pain now creeping onto his chest was stopping him from checking on them.  Deceit was towering over him, watching as the darkness choked any noise from his throat, crawling up and covering his mouth, then his nose, and then everything went dark. 

 

Virgil had never realized how  _ nice  _ light was...until there was none left.  

 

“Look at them, Virgil,” A voice echoed around him.  He knew that voice...he swore he did. But the darkness around him made it hard to think.  Faces hovered in front of him. He knew those too. But who were they? The one with the sash...the one with the glasses and tie...and the one with the cardigan around his shoulders.  A warmth fluttered in his chest at the sight of them, but only for a second. The voice came back, chilling that feeling like ice. “They abandoned you, chasing after Thomas and his affections, stealing that love from you.” 

 

The faces warped, bright smiles and fond glances turning into cold stares and scowls.  He looked down, at the glowing heart that hovered by his body. Something about that voice...it was right.  The heart floated away from his body, passing through the unfamiliar faces and dissipating them as it touched them.  

 

A hand reached out and grabbed the heart, stealing the last bit of Light from this dark prison. 

 

* * *

 

Roman and Logan watched in horror as Virgil stood, covered in the darkness that dripped off of him like ink.  Deceit stood in front of him, grin contorted into a sneer as he spoke into the catatonic Virgil’s ear. Roman itched for his sword, but he didn’t want to hurt Virgil.  And with how close Deceit was, it would be easy to use him as a meat shield. 

 

Roman heard Logan gasp, and he looked back up hurriedly to see Deceit pull something glowing out of Virgil’s chest.  Something glowing, purple, and...oh no. 

 

So that’s what Virgil gave him.  What a stupid, self-sacrificing, heroic  _ emo _ .  Roman scrambled to his feet, grabbing his sword again and readying himself.  He had to be careful. He couldn’t let Deceit take Virgil’s Light. Not after he had worked so hard to make it himself.  

 

“I hope you’re satisfied,” Deceit crooned, smirking as he glanced up from his stolen prize.  Roman saw red, darting forward with his sword ready to strike. If he had to kill the snake, then so be it.  Surely Thomas could do fine without Deceit. But the Dark Side was ready for him, a cane appearing in his hand and parrying the attack.  “But if you’re not...don’t blame me.” His voice was mocking, scolding, and sharp. He shoved Roman back, the prince too stunned to fight back as he was thrown into Logan’s arms.  

 

Voices crowded around the two of them, whispering and hissing, forcing them to watch as the darkness began to recede from Virgil.  Roman felt his heart stop for a moment. It was clear immediately that something was very, very bad. Virgil’s shoes, normally black with some added purple from Patton, were grey and lacking any real saturation.  Like someone had drained Virgil of all his color. As the darkness continued to drain away, revealing what had happened to their friend, the terrifying pattern continued. All the black clothing that Roman had teased Virgil mercilessly about, all the purple that Virgil had been secretly excited about...it was gone.  Leaving nothing but polished stone behind, like he was nothing but a statue. A statue that Deceit was hissing to, no doubt lying into his ear, twisting his brain that no longer had Light to guide it. The new grey cape fluttered down behind Virgil, who turned and looked over his shoulder at Roman and Logan. 

 

His drained,  _ grey _ eyes held nothing but contempt.  Logan had never had this look turned on him, and so it shook him to his core.  He would swear he wasn’t scared, and he wasn’t. Not for himself, at least. And Roman...he had seen this look before.  It was how Virgil would look at him before they all grew closer. Before it became clear that all Virgil wanted to do was protect.  Before Roman could call him one of his best friends. It was a look he had never wanted to see on Virgil’s face again. 

 

Deceit looked over Virgil’s shoulder at the two as he tucked Virgils Light in his cloak, sneering, “You can blame my friends on the other side.”  He then whispered something to Virgil again and the colorless side turned to face the others, revealing the new symbol on his chest. Gone was the storm cloud, the butt of many caring jokes, the root of many nicknames, the essence of Virgil.

 

In its place was the symbol of a broken heart.  

 

Shadows began to wrap themselves around Virgil’s hand, dangerous and writhing.  They rose like smoke from the ground, seeping from the corners of the room to thread themselves around Virgil’s fingers and curl up his arm.  And as Virgil held that hand in the air, in a show of power that their Virgil would never have done, those shadows burst upwards at the ceiling, crackling with an energy and a power that neither Roman nor Logan realized Virgil had.  

 

Those same disembodied voices screeched in their ears now, cackling and jeering as Deceit pulled a vial from thin air.  It held a sparkling white liquid, and they both knew it was the antidote. 

 

“You got what you wanted!” The voices jeered as Logan caught the vial in mid-air.  He held it like a lifeline, cradling it like one would a child. He couldn’t let anything happen to it, not after the price that they paid for it.  “But you lost what you had!”

 

Virgil looked at them again.  And no matter how hard the two of them searched, there was no recognition or affection in his sharp gaze.  No trace of the Virgil that they had helped become Light. Deceit hissed something else, and Virgil wordlessly turned the shadows towards them.  

 

Then everything went black.  

 

* * *

 

 

The two of them would be lying if they said that they fully trusted the antidote to work.  For all they knew, it was more poison. But after losing Virgil, they had to try. Thomas couldn’t lose Patton too.  

 

_ They  _ couldn’t lose Patton too.  

 

Luckily, the antidote seemed to do the trick, the sludge in his veins receding after only a minute.  Roman and Logan watched the green disappear, waiting nervously for Patton to open his eyes. They needed a kind face after the scene they just left.  Or rather, were forcefully ejected from. The space behind the two of them felt far too empty without the quiet presence of their fourth companion, even if he would have been worried out of his mind. 

 

It felt like it took ages, but eventually, Patton’s eyelids began to flutter open.  He squinted as he woke up, his eyes sensitive, but Roman very nearly started crying.  Logan was smiling softly, and Patton felt a smile tug at his own lips as he glanced back and forth between the other two sides.  

 

Two.  There were two of them.  His face pulled into a frown.  

 

“Where’s Virgil?”

 

Roman looked away, and Logan had no words to say.  Nothing could do justice the sacrifice that Virgil had made.  But in the end, no words were needed. 

 

The silence stretched on, and Patton began to cry.  


	2. A Beacon in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other sides make a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am the captain now. 
> 
> this is my interpretation of what i wanted to happen after that animatic, and so this is me taking so very many creative liberties with the great story in that video. hope you like it :)

It took the remaining sides longer than they were willing to admit to realize that something was  _ dreadfully  _ wrong.  Well, they all knew something was wrong, but it took too long for them to see just how bad this new situation was.  Patton had barely fully recovered, it took a few hours even with Logan helping to draw the final remnants of Deceit’s venom out of his arm.  He was still a little groggy from the poison, and neither Roman nor Logan wanted to leave him alone. And so it took them a day to think that maybe they should check on Thomas.  While he was recovering, Roman had filled Patton in on what exactly happened while he was out. Patton felt horrible, he knew that Virgil still felt less useful than the others, but he never wanted  _ this  _ to happen.  He had tried to help Virgil whenever he could, making him feel like he belonged with them, and he thought it was getting better.  If Patton had just noticed that snake…

 

“Stop.” Logan put a hand on Patton’s shoulder.  He hadn’t realized he was speaking aloud. “It’s not your fault.  It’s Deceit’s. And we’re going to fix this.”

 

“We have to.” Roman added.  “A year ago I never would have thought to say these words, but we need to save Anxiety.”

 

“Whatever you need me to do, I’ll help,” Patton insisted.  A tense silence fell between the three of them. It seemed to be the only kind of silence they could have.  And it was at that moment that the sharp crash of shattering glass rang through the mind palace and all three of them felt a jolt of fear.  Fear that was not abated at all when they manifested into the real world. Thomas was curled on the floor of the kitchen, his head between his knees, water pooling underneath the shards of glass far too close to his foot.  The three sides rushed over to him, leaving their spots with barely a moment of hesitation. It was weird and difficult for them to be anywhere besides the place they usually rose up into, but Thomas wasn’t responding to their calls and he needed them.  Patton knelt beside him, hesitantly reaching out an arm to hover over his shoulder. They rarely touched Thomas, but Patton didn’t know what else to do. 

 

“Thomas?  It’s okay, kiddo, we’re here for you.  What happened?” He said soothingly. Thomas was breathing heavily, and they all realized with a start that this was an anxiety attack, something they had helped Virgil through many times.  But they had rarely, if ever, extended to affect Thomas as well. Virgil always tried to make sure they didn’t. It took a bit for Thomas to slow his breathing, following Logan’s calm voice, but eventually he was just sitting with his head on his arms.  

 

“We need to fix this,” Roman muttered, seeing Logan glance back at him with a nod.  They didn’t know what would happen with Virgil back with the Dark Sides, however unwilling, but this was not good at all.  This was even worse than when Virgil was trying to seem scary, at least then he had still wanted to help. Thomas lifted his head to look at them all.  

 

“That’s...that’s never happened before,” He whispered, his voice quiet.  Patton looked down at the floor.

 

“Yeah.  Yeah, kiddo, it’s uh, new.”  He sounded so devastated that Thomas immediately turned to face him, concerned.  On one hand, it was good that Patton wasn’t trying to hide the fact that he was upset, but on the other, seeing Patton so sad and noticing the residual puffiness of his eyes from crying was just awful.  Then Thomas seemed to realize what was missing.  _ Who _ was missing. The fact that there was no hooded figure ignoring the perfectly good chairs and perching on the counter.   As he opened his mouth to ask the question that none of them wanted to hear again, Logan cut in to explain. 

 

“Gone.  He’s...gone,” He said abruptly, causing Thomas to freeze.  “It’s a bit of a long story, but I will...do my best to summarize.”

 

Hearing the story again was almost as bad as being there in the first place, Roman noted.  Knowing that he could have,  _ should have,  _ stopped it.  But he also knew that stopping Deceit would have meant losing Patton.  It was the definition of a lose-lose scenario, and Roman hated those scenarios.  Creativity was supposed to get you out of unwinnable situations like that, but Roman had been useless.  

 

“We- We’re going to save him, right?” Thomas asked when Logan was finished.  Logan held up his hand, stopping Thomas from continuing.

 

“ _ We  _ are going to save him.  There is no way you are accompanying us, there is no telling the repercussions that might occur if you were to journey into the dark sides of your own mind,” He stated, matter-of-fact.  “Especially if it ends in a fight. Under no circumstances are you to be injured in your mind palace, it could be devastating.”

 

Thomas sighed.

 

“I can’t just sit here doing nothing, though.  What if you guys get hurt? What if you can’t save him?  What if he leaves again for good and I’m stuck like I was the last time, I could die!  What if-”

 

“Ok, Thomas, just breathe.” Patton lightly shook Thomas’s shoulder.  He glanced up at the other two. “This is the opposite of when Virge decided to leave.”

 

“Back then there was no anxiety.  This is Thomas with far too much anxiety,” Logan muttered.  

 

“Do you think Virgil knows what he’s doing?” Roman asked.  Logan nodded.

 

“I think he is unable to care,” He corrected.  “Without his Light, it is unfortunately likely that he has lost his drive to protect Thomas.”

 

“You mean…”

 

“Our Light is our essence.  It contains our passions, our desires, and our memories.  Virgil was always more light than the other Dark Sides, which was what gave him his love for Thomas and his persistence to become one of us.  And we helped him grow his Light from just a spark into a fully fledged essence.” Logan furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “When Deceit took it, he took it all.  That means all of Virgil’s memories with us, all of his compassion towards Thomas and us, and even most of who he was when he was with the Dark Sides.”

 

“Oh.”  Roman was speechless.  All of that, gone? What would happen if Deceit had taken  _ his  _ Light?  Or Patton’s?  What would they become?  Or would they just be...gone?  “So what you’re saying is that he doesn’t know that we need him, or care about him?  At all?”

 

“Correct.  There is no doubt that Deceit is using this to his advantage, he is probably filling Virgil’s head with lies as we speak, and who knows what they are,” Logan said.  

 

“We have to fix this,” Patton said, a determined look on his face that wasn’t seen too often.  He actually looked a little angry, which was odd for him. “Virgil always just wanted to help, he would hate what’s happening now.”

 

“Sure, he’s made me nervous about leaving my drink in another room at a party, but this...I dropped the glass because I got the intense feeling that setting it down on the counter made the water dirty, and I would die if I drank it.” Thomas looked up at them.  “At this rate, I’ll never be able to leave my house, much less go to a party.”

 

“Roman?  Are you okay?” Patton asked, noticing Roman deep in thought.  He started at the attention, head snapping up to look at Patton before he flushed and looked away.

 

“Yes, I just...don’t really want to run into Virgil when we go back to the dark side.” He mumbled, his usual gusto gone from his voice.  Patton cocked his head.

 

“Why not, kiddo?” 

 

“Well, we have finally reached a balance, you know?  And I’m sure that the lies Deceit is feeding him do not contain the fact that we are...friends now,” Roman admitted.  Patton nodded in understanding.

 

“You don’t want to fight with him again, huh?” He asked, and Roman nodded in answer.  Patton sighed. “Well, I can’t say you won’t. Because you’re right, our little worrywart doesn’t know who he really is anymore and that includes what he means to us.  But, once we can get his Light back, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

 

“So how  _ are  _ you getting his Light back?” Thomas asked.  “Deceit is a slippery snake, he’s not gonna let you just waltz up and take it.”

 

Logan sighed and adjusted his glasses.  “Well we would certainly not be dancing, but you’re right.  We will need a distraction for him so that he does not realize that we are searching for it.”

 

“I’ve got that covered, Logan.” Patton’s voice held a strong amount of conviction, making Logan look at him, confused.

 

“How so?”

 

“Well, out of all of us, I am the most likely to go right to him and ask for our Virgil back.  You would never, and Roman would be too...fighty.” Patton gave a laugh, but his heart wasn’t fully in it.  “And I also annoy him, so I could probably keep his attention long enough.”

 

“He has a point,” Roman agreed.  “I don’t like it, but he has a point.”

 

“Deceit has already tried to poison you once, Patton, who’s to say he won’t try again now that Virgil is no longer there to stop him?” Logan argued.  “We cannot risk losing you too, not now.”

 

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting it last time.  I’m not gonna let him get one of his snakes that close to me this time.” Patton grinned, the smile not fully reaching his eyes.  “And anyway, I owe it to the kid, don’t I? He did that for me, I should be the one to try and talk to Deceit, right? And it definitely won’t be a lie, because who knows, maybe I’ll actually be able to convince him, and all this can be over painlessly.”

 

“For once, your unceasing optimism might come in handy,” Logan muttered.  “Unfortunately, I think you’re right. But that does not mean I like it. You have to be careful.”

 

“I might be silly, but I know when things need to be taken seriously,” Patton assured him.  Logan looked down at him, where he still knelt next to Thomas. 

 

“I know you do.   But promise me that no matter what Deceit says, no matter what happens when we are searching for the Light, you  _ will not  _ make a deal with him.  It will only make things worse.” He was deathly serious, and Patton stood, walking over and wrapping Logan in an awkward hug.  

 

“I won’t.  I promise. Just get my anxious son’s Light back, okay?”

 

Logan’s lips twitched in a small smile as his hand awkwardly raised to rest on Patton’s back.

 

“We shall do our best, Patton.”

 

* * *

 

“Is everyone clear on the plan?  This is going to be dangerous, the dark side of Thomas’s brain is not good for any of us.” Logan glanced between Patton and Roman, back in the mind palace after setting Thomas in front of the television with Parks and Recreation blaring yet again.  Hopefully, that would keep him from being too affected by whatever Virgil was doing. Roman nodded, puffing out his chest.

 

“Our dear Patton here will go to Deceit and distract him by pleading for the Light back.  Meanwhile, the two of us will explore the depths of Thomas’s mind to try and take the Light back ourselves,” He said.  “Then as soon as we reunite our storm cloud with his Light, we pretend to barge in and drag Patton away, returning to our section of the mind without Deceit ever knowing our plan.”

 

“Correct.  Now, there is a chance that Deceit will realize what is happening.  After all, we are stealing from one of the stronger Dark Sides.” Logan thought for a moment.  “Although, for all we know...Virgil may be stronger with the effect he has on Thomas directly…”

 

“I really don’t want to think about that, Logan,” Patton pouted.  “Can we just focus on Deceit?”

 

“We need to discuss all options, Patton,” Logan said.  “But it is highly unlikely that you will encounter Virgil, and so you don’t need to worry about him.  It is Roman and I who must prepare ourselves for the Virgil we may see.”

 

“Hopefully we won’t see him either, at least not until we find his Light,” Roman muttered.  

 

“Yes, hopefully.  I do not like thinking this, but he might even be distracted trying to affect Thomas, letting us sneak around.” Logan pursed his lips.  “But given how vigilant he is, I would not be surprised if he-”

 

“-Listen Google Glasses, usually you know I  _ adore  _ listening to you map out plans and all that boring junk.” Roman cut him off.  “But with a situation like this, I think we just have to go for it, y’know?”

Logan sighed.

 

“If...if Virgil was here, you know he would tell you that going in without seeing every outcome is far too dangerous,” He countered, seeing the flash of a frown on Roman’s face at the mention of Virgil.  “But...you have a point. The longer we wait, the longer Deceit has to safeguard the Light.”

 

“So...we’re going, then?” Patton asked, a glint of fear in his eyes.  Logan nodded.

 

“Virgil needs us.  For all the times he has saved Thomas from danger, this is the least we can do for him, saving him from himself,” He said.  “Are you two ready?”

 

“As I’ll ever be.” Patton chuckled nervously as Roman nodded in determination.  

The three of them then turned and walked the hallways, winding the stairs and the shadows until everything was a little darker.  They all could feel it. Being in this side of the mind always felt...draining. Like if they spent too long, they would fade away.  For all they knew, they would. None of them had been in the dark side for long enough to actually know. All they had to go off of were Logan’s hypotheses.  They exchanged glances and hurried forward, they had to move fast. It was all too soon and yet not quick enough that they came upon the familiar door with ‘Deceit’ written in flowing black ink.  

 

“Well, here’s my stop!” Patton rubbed the back of his neck with another nervous laugh.  Roman put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Just speak from your heart and keep him occupied.  I have the utmost faith in you,” He assured Patton, and the other side smiled gratefully.  

 

“Thanks Roman.  Good luck on your end.”

 

Then he took a deep breath, reaching out and pushing open the door to the liar’s room.  Roman and Logan hurried out of the way so that Deceit wouldn’t sense them there, both regretting that they couldn’t keep an eye on Patton.  But they knew he could handle himself. He had to. 

 

The other two snuck around the dark side of the mind palace, where the shadows covered the walls and the lights continuously flickered.  The only good thing about this area being so naturally dark was that any glowing purple object would stand out like a sore thumb. Roman desperately wanted to manifest some sort of light, but he knew that would draw very unwanted attention to them.  They were lucky that the other Dark Sides seemed to be in their rooms, they didn’t have to sneak around anyone, although that did make them a little more nervous. Surely Deceit would want everyone watching out in case of something exactly like this?  What was he playing at? 

 

“You don’t think he still has it on him, right?” Roman hissed a whisper to Logan.  The logical side frowned.

 

“It seems like that would be more of an inconvenience than a smart way to protect it.  I do hope it’s not in his room, though,” He answered. 

 

“Should we go check?  If we can, I mean.” Roman glanced back down the hallway to where they had left Patton around half an hour ago.  Logan sighed.

 

“We might have to.  I think you should go, so if you get caught you can say you were getting Patton.  If that happens, we might have to retreat for today, but at least Deceit wouldn’t know what we’re really doing.”  

 

“I don’t want to make Patton have to lie, though,” Roman said.  

 

“He won’t.  He’s doing exactly what he says he’s doing, he’s not lying to Deceit.  Now, you will need to be very quiet. I told Patton to try and get Deceit’s back to the door just in case, and so you will have some leeway, but not a lot,” Logan instructed.  Roman nodded. 

 

“I will not make a sound, teach.” 

 

They crept their way back down the hall, back to the door that was slightly cracked open.  It was a familiar scene, and Roman only hoped that this time wouldn’t end like the last. He slowly peeked in, and held back a sigh of relief as he saw Patton gesturing emphatically to Deceit, whose back was facing Roman.  He gave an ‘ok’ sign to Logan and snuck into the room, trying to keep out of Patton’s sight as well so he wouldn’t accidentally give anything away. Roman frowned as he scanned the dark room around him. He really did not want to be back here, and as he watched the back of Deceit’s head, he really wanted to draw his sword and just run at the snake.  But that wasn’t why he was here. That was the last resort. So he tore his eyes away from that two-faced side and began to make his way around the room. As he searched, he couldn’t help but hear what Patton was saying.

 

“-My favorite?  I mean, honestly, it has to be when we all celebrated Christmas!  Gosh, you should have seen Virgil’s face, he was so annoyed with us but he had a lot of fun in the end!  He’s gotten a lot better about showing when he’s actually having fun, it’s super great to tell he’s been happier!  And speaking of happier, don’t you want him to be happy? I get that he made that deal to save me and everything, which is super sweet of him, but we really miss him up there,” Patton was rambling, and as Roman snuck a glance, he saw that Deceit was equal parts amused and annoyed.  He was probably letting Patton waste his time just so he could see the look on his face when he refused to give up Virgil. “It reminds us all of before Virge was even manifesting up there with us, and that's just lonely to think about now! He may be all dark and gloomy, but he lights up a room when he wants to, trust me on that.”

 

Roman could see the pain in the smile on Patton’s face, and he wished he could fix that.  But there was only one way to ease that pain. And Virgil’s Light was nowhere to be seen in Deceit’s room.  He held back his groan of disappointment and impatience, instead just hurrying back out of the room and frowning as he approached Logan.

 

“Nothing?” Logan asked.  Roman scowled.

 

“That slippery jerk just  _ had  _ to make this hard for us, huh?” 

 

“Well he isn’t going to just hand us the Light, Roman, not after all he went through to get it.”

 

“I  _ know _ , Logan, I’m just annoyed.”

 

They crouched in silence for a minute longer, Roman scanning the blank white walls with the light flickering off of them.  He just wanted to be back in his room, with all this taken care of. But it was his job to take care of it. He was the prince, the rescuer.  This was what he was meant to do. He still felt...like he should be doing more. But what more could he be doing? Here he was, infiltrating the most shadowed part of Thomas’s mind, risking himself to save both Virgil and Thomas.  There was nothing more he could be doing. And yet that feeling wouldn’t leave him. 

 

Wait.  

 

That feeling...it wasn’t him.

 

“Hey, specs, do you feel that?” He asked, and Logan looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows.

 

“I don’t  _ feel _ , Roman, you know this.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, gross emotions, we get it.  Can you drop that for one second and tell me I’m not going crazy?  I’m feeling something and it isn’t me,” Roman insisted. Logan sighed, rolling his eyes, but was silent as he thought for a minute.  A frown stretched across his face. 

“...Oh…” He said softly, looking off down the hallway.  Roman leaned forward.

 

“Oh?  What does ‘oh’ mean?” 

 

“I believe that I do...feel it,” He answered.  “But you are right, it’s not us. If my hypothesis is correct, we are feeling Virgil’s Light.”

 

“What?  How does that work?  Does Virgil’s Light feel different things than Virgil?  Why does his Light feel like that?” Roman shot off rapid-fire questions until Logan cut him off.

 

“Hold on, I can’t answer everything at once.  I believe that we can feel his Light because we helped him cultivate it.  It grew as we bonded with him, therefore we are bonded to  _ it _ .  And so...those feelings must be what Virgil would be feeling were he still connected to his Light,” Logan explained quickly.  “As for why his Light is feeling like that, I would assume that those feelings are feelings that Virgil has often. But that is beside the point for right now.  We can use this.”

 

“Oh!  We can follow it!  Bet Deceit didn’t anticipate the power of friendship bringing him down!” Roman felt a confident grin on his face for the first time since Patton was poisoned.  He closed his eyes and looked for that feeling, the one that told him he wasn’t doing enough. Was that really how Virgil felt? Not that he could do anything about that right now, but still.  Roman couldn’t help but feel bad. He latched onto that inferior feeling, seeking it out and trying to sense what direction it was coming from. On the surface, it felt like Virgil’s room, the same buzzing feeling that made Roman jittery and on edge.  As he felt deeper within himself, that feeling became less abstract and more of a low pounding, like a heartbeat. A slow, rhythmic heartbeat that echoed throughout Roman’s own Light and called out to him. His eyes snapped open.

 

“This way,” He whispered, taking the lead in front of Logan and creeping down the hallway.  He didn’t know his way around the dark side of the mind, but the heartbeat of Virgil’s Light led him through winding corridors and darkened common rooms until it grew louder and almost...excited.  Could it somehow tell that Roman and Logan were coming to find it? That was a question that Roman didn’t really know if he wanted an answer to. Finally, the heartbeat slowed. And Roman and Logan found themselves in front of a door.  Roman felt his breath leave his lungs. 

 

The door had clearly been through multiple owners.  There were patches of fresh paint on it, covering a name that had been erased.  As much as he tried, he couldn’t tell what had been written previously. He felt he had a pretty good guess, though.  But even if he could read it, his eyes were drawn to the newest name. This wasn’t written in ink, like Deceit’s elaborate penmanship, nor on a nice plaque like in the lighter side of the mind.  No, this name was etched into the door, cut into the wood in jagged letters, impatient and angry and recent. A mark of darkness. A mark of loss. A mark of permanence. 

  
The word haphazardly carved into the door read: ‘ _Anxiety’_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the gap yesterday yall, i still have a little bit to finish for part 3 but hopefully itll be up tomorrow or sunday.  
> this part was a little shorter, sorry bout that, but hopefully the next one makes up for it :)


	3. Shedding Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Logan investigate. The shadows fight back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy the final part :)

Roman and Logan both stared at the carving on the door, not wanting to go inside.  This wasn’t the Virgil that they knew, and this just made that abundantly clear. But the Light was inside.  And so they couldn’t wait in the hallway forever.

 

“Do you think...he’s in there?” Roman whispered, barely a breath.  Logan frowned.

 

“We did not see any sign of him as we were searching, which means he is most likely in the room,” He replied.

 

“He does spend a lot of time in his room.”  Roman reached up a hand to the doorknob before hesitating.  This was the thing he  _ hadn’t  _ wanted to happen.  He turned back to Logan.  “If he’s in there, then I’ll distract him while you find the Light.  I’m good at annoying him.”

 

“You’re quite good at annoying everyone, actually.” Logan gave Roman a small smirk.  “But you are right. I will try to be quick.”

 

When Roman finally gripped the doorknob and turned it, he was a little surprised that it was unlocked.  But it swung open easily, revealing a room just as dark as Virgil’s other room, but this one made Roman frown.  The ambiance was the same, darkness and an air that set nerves on edge no matter what was happening, but it was missing everything that had made Virgil’s room actually kind of nice to be in.  Patton would be happy that there were no spider curtains, but there were no windows to need curtains in the first place. The albums of emo music were gone from the walls, along with the Tim Burton posters that Roman knew Virgil really liked.  The only things really in the room were a plain wooden wardrobe that looked like it had seen better days, a bare bookshelf with nothing in it, a bed with messy black sheets...and Virgil. 

 

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, one foot on the sheets next to him and the other resting unnervingly motionless on the ground.  He had the hood of his colorless jacket up over his head and his eyes shut. His eyeshadow was the darkest it had ever been, like a black void underneath his eyes.  There was a smirk on his face that looked like it belonged more on Deceit than on him. It was incredibly unsettling. Roman turned to Logan, who was way ahead of him, his eyes already closed as he checked on Thomas.  He pursed his lips as he watched what was happening in the real world, soon re-opening his eyes to shake his head at Roman. 

_ Distraction isn’t working _ , he mouthed, and Roman glanced back to where Virgil was ramping up Thomas’s anxiety levels.  Normally, the more anxious Thomas was, the more anxious Virgil was too. But he didn’t seem to be affected at all.  Was that another side effect of losing his Light? They needed to fix this before Virgil did something that he would definitely regret.  Roman took a hesitant step into the room and instantly, Virgil’s eyes snapped open to stare directly at him. That glare chilled Roman to his core, because it was even more intense than any of the glares directed at him before they were friends.  His eyes were a polished stone, sharp and grey. They were full of emotion, but empty of anything that Roman had come to notice about Virgil. In fact, both Roman and Logan were noticing that there was nothing... _ Virgil _ about him at all.  His stance, his face, his gaze, all of it held no traces of Virgil.  Not anymore. 

 

Virgil- no.  This wasn’t Virgil.   _ Anxiety _ lowered his other foot to the ground while staring at Roman.  His lip curled into a sneer. 

 

“Well?  Come to try and destroy me again?” He said, his voice dangerous and mocking in a way that was far too reminiscent of who he was before.  It also reeked of Deceit. Logan lightly elbowed Roman in the side and tilted his head towards the corner of the room. Tucked away, wrapped in shadows, a box was giving off a light purple glow.  Roman nodded at Logan before turning back to V- Anxiety. 

 

“We aren’t here to destroy you?” He replied.  “We just want that thing that’s glowing in the corner.”

 

Anxiety scoffed.  “Yeah, that’s what I asked.  I know what that thing is, and you’re not getting it.”

 

“You...know what it is?” Roman was a little confused.  Obviously he didn’t actually know what it was, but what did he think it was?

 

“You can’t lie to  _ Deceit _ , and if you think you can then you’re dumber than you look,” Anxiety rolled his eyes.  “You can try and pass that thing off as a gift all you want, but I know the truth. I know what your fake ‘Light’ will do to me.”

 

“Well...how do you know Deceit isn’t lying to  _ you _ ?” Roman shot back, moving farther into the room to distract from Logan sneaking around the side.  Anxiety stood up, his hood falling back around his shoulders, revealing a face that was paler and gaunter than usual.  

 

“Of course he lies.  But I know he wouldn’t let you destroy me, because he needs me.  I don’t trust him either, but at least he’s on my side,” Anxiety looked away from Roman to where Logan had been trying to stick to the shadows.  “Now leave, or I’ll make you.” Roman cursed the inherent vigilance that came with being Anxiety. He looked back between Logan and Anxiety, trying to think of a plan.  

 

And in true Creativity fashion, he just went with the first idea in his head.  

 

“W-wait!  First, before we go, just...why do you think we want to destroy you?  I mean-”

 

“-Are you serious?” Anxiety tore his eyes away from Logan to send them burning through Roman yet again.  That grey was seriously unsettling. “I’m not stupid,  _ Creativity _ .  I know you want me gone the most.  A Thomas without anxiety? That’s a place you can thrive.”

 

“I mean, sure, I’d have more say in things, but...but what if you had a larger seat at the table?” Roman practically lit up with his new idea.  “I mean, what if you could just talk to Thomas rather than having to directly influence him? Then maybe our ideas wouldn’t clash so much?”

 

It was a long shot, but maybe getting Anxiety to think about the life that Virgil had could...Roman didn’t know what the end game was.  Distraction? Coercion? He didn’t know, he just needed...something to happen. Something other than the light dusting of shadow gathering on Anxiety’s left hand.  

 

“You’d fit in up there, I promise,” He continued, ignoring the pit forming in his stomach as the frown on Anxiety’s face deepened.  “And with that Light-”

 

“-There it is.” It was a scowl now.  “Always back to that deathtrap. You’re not getting that thing to touch me.  I knew you Light Sides were pretentious, but using pieces of your own Light to eradicate me from this mind....despicable.”

 

So that’s what Deceit told him.  It was true, if you somehow put your Light into the body of a different side, it could have incredibly bad outcomes according to Logan.  The only issue was that he didn’t know the Light was  _ his… _

 

“Ok, ok, no Light!” Roman backpedaled, desperately trying to keep Anxiety’s eyes on him.  He saw Logan reach the box out of the corner of his eyes, but the shadows were wrapped tight around the box.  “But that doesn’t mean you need to hide away down here in this...place. I mean, can you even see how you’re affecting Thomas down here?  No like, for real, can you?”

 

Anxiety smirked, his face turning into something a little more sinister.  “Yeah, I can.”

 

Which meant he knew exactly what he was doing to Thomas.  Great. Roman felt that pit in his stomach grow larger and larger.  So this was a truly Dark Anxiety, huh? Man, and he thought  _ their  _ Anxiety was a creepy cookie.  But even Roman had been able to look back at everything he had done and see his good intentions.  He did stop Thomas from getting into trouble on a lot of occasions. The trouble that he definitely would have gotten into had he kept listening to Roman.  Roman could tell that he was never...showing off. He never made Thomas freaked out over things that had absolutely no meaning, like the dirty glass death scenario in the kitchen earlier.  However unlikely, the scenarios brought up always had at least a smidge of merit to them. This was...what was that thing Logan liked to talk about? That anxiety curve? This was a prime example of Thomas being pushed so far down the bad end of that curve that he goes off the chart entirely.  

This Anxiety was not making himself seem darker for a reason, he wasn’t putting on a persona of the bad guy while secretly wishing he would just be listened to.  No, this Anxiety was  _ relishing  _ in being the bad guy.  And that scared Roman more than anything Deceit could do.  It felt like a stab in the gut. Because this was everything that Virgil didn’t want to be.  

 

“So-”

 

“-No.  I’ve humored you long enough,  _ princey _ .” Anxiety snarled, the anger behind the nickname shooting through Roman.  “Leave, or I will make you.”

 

Looking down, Roman could see the shadows wrapping tighter around Anxiety’s hand.  He was getting ready for a fight. Off in the corner, Logan was trying to get through the shadows surrounding the Light but was having no luck.  Which meant they couldn’t leave now. Roman sighed, he really didn’t want to fight Anxiety. He wanted to fight Deceit, but that also wasn’t an option right now.  He steeled himself and summoned his sword. Anxiety’s face hardened. 

 

“Alright.  We’ll see how Thomas does without his Creativity,” He spat, bringing his hand up to swipe at Roman with his shadows.  Roman leaped back, parrying with his sword and slicing through the shadows with an ease he hadn’t expected. It cut like warm butter, the shadows dissipating as soon as they touched the metal.  But they came back as soon as they disappeared. 

 

Roman was not struggling in this fight because Anxiety was...better.  He was struggling because he was desperately trying to not hit Anxiety with his sword.  He was struggling because Anxiety had no such qualms about hitting him. And, as Roman came to find out, those shadows  _ burned _ .  He wondered briefly why they were hurting him but not Logan, who had been touching them to try and get into the box, but he was distracted by another wave of shadows coming towards him.  Anxiety was practically wreathed in them, pulling them from every corner of the room except, conveniently, the box holding his Light. The shadows crackled with energy, sending Anxiety's hair on end and giving him a wild look.  

 

Roman sliced through a dagger of shadow on his right, and felt the cold burn of pain on his left side as a shadow he had missed cut through his shirt.  The shadows didn’t hurt like steel did. They burned, but at the level of heat that is so hot, it’s cold. Like someone had shoved ice into his bloodstream.  He held back the hiss of pain and backed up, getting dangerously close to the wall. Anxiety was getting even angrier.

 

“Fight  _ back _ !” He yelled, wrapping shadows around Roman’s right leg and holding them fast.  The burning was worse when the shadows stayed in place. Roman couldn’t hold in his short cry, stabbing downward with his sword so the shadows scattered.  In the haze of pain he was in, he had a moment of clarity. Logan couldn’t break the shadows, but they didn’t hurt him. Roman and Anxiety were near opposites, each conflicting the other.  Which meant that Roman could destroy the shadows, but Anxiety could hurt him back. 

 

He pushed forward, fighting the shadows but not Anxiety.  For all they had fought with words in the past, Roman was not about to hurt him.  

 

Anxiety sent burning darkness his way, Roman cut through them and moved forward.  Roman missed and got knocked back by pain, Anxiety moved forward. They danced like chess pieces, two kings circling each other in checkmate until one of them won.  

 

Roman didn’t know how he could win at this point.  He couldn’t get close enough to Anxiety to knock him out, the shadows made sure of that.  Not to mention, he had a bit of a limp thanks to to the death grip of those shadows on his leg.  His arms were heavy, he didn’t want to be fighting right now. But if he stopped, Anxiety wouldn’t hesitate to destroy him.  After all, he also thought he was fighting for his life. 

 

A shadow caught him on the cheek and he tasted blood, sharp and metallic.  It snapped him back to the fight, though. Anxiety was growing very impatient.  He was attacking with a speed that seemed uncharacteristic and only proved to drive home the point that Anxiety wasn’t feeling his own Anxiety.  

 

A thought struck Roman.  What was Thomas feeling right now?  Two of his more prominent sides fighting each other.  Roman hoped he was okay. Hopefully, the fight would end soon and then they could check on him.  

 

“You call yourself a prince, a hero, and you won’t even fight me?” Anxiety goaded, his tone mocking and biting.  “C’mon, you wanted me gone, right? So get  _ rid of me _ .”

 

Roman grit his teeth as a particularly dark shadow pushed against his sword before dissolving.  He just had to find a way to help Logan get through that box, then this could all be over. But how to do it...

 

A shadow snatched Roman’s attention, curling off of Anxiety’s arm and snaking around to try and sneak up on him.  Roman tensed, preparing to turn and cut it when he felt...something. Call it instinct, intuition, whatever, it was kicking in and screaming at Roman to ignore that shadow and  _ swing to the right, those shadows on your right, cut them, cut them!  _

 

Then Anxiety disappeared.  

 

One second he was there, the next a shadow covered his body and melted to the floor, taking him with it.  Roman hesitated for a moment, staring at the floor where he had been, before giving in to the call of his instinct and slashing to his right side, just in time as the small shadow behind him dissipated and a large one curled up from the floor, a void of pure darkness  ready to swallow him, right in the path of his sword, ready to-

 

_ Anxiety _ .  Roman was moving too fast to stop his swing as Anxiety materialized out of the large shadow, dark grey eyes burning with something too strong to be identified.  Those eyes widened in shock as he realized Roman was already looking at him, mid-swing. Roman’s eyes widened as he noticed too late that Anxiety was right underneath his sword.

 

All it took was a second.  The metal sliced through Anxiety’s shirt, a diagonal line from his left shoulder to his right hip.  Right through the broken heart on his clothes. For a moment, everything was still. 

 

Then Roman saw the blood on his sword.  And Anxiety fell to his knees. 

 

The shadows collapsed, melting into the floor or creeping back to the corners where they belonged, no longer constrained by Anxiety’s control.  A few persistent patches of darkness clung to his hands and feet, trying to crawl up his legs but lacking the strength. Roman was frozen, his arm still outstretched and holding his bloodied sword.  He stared at the wound across Anxiety’s chest, at the red bubbling to the surface of his skin and soaking into his shirt, marring the grey. 

 

“Roman, move!” Logan yelled from behind him, and Roman moved as if he was burned, jumping to the side as Logan ran past him holding something purple.

 

A sigh of relief came unbidden from Roman as he realized that Logan was able to get the Light.  At least something good came from that. 

 

Anxiety saw Logan approach, and he tried to scramble backward, a sharp cry of fear ripping itself from his throat as his shadowed hands flew up to try and block him.  The shadows themselves seemed to hiss, reacting to the fear of their master. But Logan wasn’t hurt by them, and pushed forward until the Light came into contact with Anxiety’s chest.  It hovered there for a second, held by invisible strings as Logan stepped back, but soon it glowed brighter and melded with Anxiety’s chest, enveloping his whole body in the soft purple light.  His head was bowed, arms still raised. 

 

Roman and Logan waited, holding their breath.  Anxiety was still, as motionless as a statue for the most agonizing few minutes that Roman had ever experienced.  

 

They dragged on, each beat of his heart bringing a new fear that something had gone wrong.  

 

Each beat of his heart worrying that the Light actually  _ had  _ hurt Anxiety.  

 

But then his hand moved.  Twitched, to be exact, his thumb moving barely an inch.  Logan held out an arm to stop Roman from rushing forward.  

 

His hand slowly moved down, his head still lowered, until it reached the wound on his chest.  A low hiss escaped him as he touched it, and his fingers came back bloodied. A shudder ran through his body, and then he looked up.  

 

From underneath his bangs, dark brown eyes looked up at them, a film of unshed tears blurring the color.  Roman felt his breath catch in his throat. 

 

Then Virgil collapsed in a heap, his tears spilling down to the ground.  

 

* * *

 

Logan finally let Roman move, and he rushed forward, kneeling down and gently taking Virgil’s arm, muttering to him as he slowly helped him to his feet.  He was apologizing through his tears, and he nearly broke down again when Roman took a step and winced from the pain in his leg. 

 

“Hey, hey, don’t worry about me, okay?  I’m strong, I can handle this,” Roman grinned, trying to ebb Virgil’s crying, to no avail.

 

“I m-made Thomas...I made him-” Virgil didn’t seem able to get the words out.  Logan stepped forward, opening the door for the two of them.

 

“He is not upset with you, Virgil.  None of us are, if that is what has you nervous.  Thomas is more worried for you than anything,” He said.  “Roman, can you take him back to his real room? I will go get Patton.”

 

“Patton?” Virgil’s head snapped up.  “H-he’s okay?”

 

“Yeah, sunshine, he’s fine.” Roman propped Virgil on his shoulder as he helped him through the door.  “That stunt you pulled with your Light was dangerous, but Deceit  _ did  _ give us the antidote.”

 

“...Good.”

 

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t stupid to give him your Light, though,” Roman raised his eyebrows at Virgil, “I mean, we could’ve lost you for good.”

 

“Yeah, but...Patton-”

 

“-We can talk about this later, it is all in the past.  What isn’t in the past is that your chest is bleeding, and you need to get back to our side of the mind.” Logan cut the two of them off.  “Now go, I will bring Patton up soon, we all know he’ll want to see you, Virgil.”

 

He gave Virgil a small smile before turning down the hallway towards Deceit’s room.  Virgil shifted slightly before calling out after him, keeping his voice quiet.

 

“Logan?” He called, giving him a shaky grin when he turned around.  “Kick the door down for me? It’s more dramatic.”

 

“I’m sorry,  _ now  _ you’re fine with dramatics?” Roman gasped in mock offense.  “What happened to never letting me sing along to Disney movies because I’m a ‘drama queen’?”

 

“You  _ are  _ a drama queen, Roman,” Logan replied, smiling at the offended look he got in return.  “And I think I can do that, Virgil. Glad to have you back.”

 

Then he turned and strode determinedly down the hall, straightening his tie.  Roman looked down at Virgil.

 

“How’s your chest?  Sorry about that, by the way, I didn’t mean to actually hit you.” 

 

“Honestly, I’m glad you did,” Virgil muttered, “I remember what I was feeling then, and I was ready for one of us to not leave that room.”

 

“Well...I know you didn’t mean it.  It wasn’t you, it was who Deceit wants you to be.  But um, are you okay?” Roman looked down at the cut and saw that thankfully, it didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore.  Virgil shrugged, then winced.

 

“I think it was more shocking than anything, it doesn’t feel that bad.  Hurts, obviously, but...I’ll be fine.”

 

“Alright then, good.  Let’s get you back up to-”

“-Um, can we uh, wait for Patton?” Virgil asked.  Roman knew Logan would probably be upset if he let Virgil stay and wait, but he had been through a lot.  And if his cut wasn’t that bad, especially if it wasn’t bleeding anymore…

 

“Yeah, sure.  Let’s just get a little ways out of...this part of the mind, okay?  Kinda creeps me out.” Roman began moving down the hallway, with Virgil supported by his shoulder.  Virgil chuckled.

 

“Forgot how much I hated it down here.” He shook his head.  “Never wanted to have my name on one of these doors again, but I guess it’s here permanently now.”

 

“I’ll carve something over it, if you want?” Roman offered, and Virgil glanced up at him with a small smile.

 

“Really?”

 

“Well we can’t have our resident Hot Topic employee with his name on this dreadful place, right?  Just one moment, Prince Charming can take care of this,” He flashed a grin and took his sword in his hand once more.  Virgil rolled his eyes.

 

“Ah, my hero,” He deadpanned, but the smile was still there on his face.  

 

It only took a minute, and when they resumed their walk down the hallway,  _ Anxiety _ had been crossed out, and below it was carved:  _ He’s ours, Bonnie and Lied. _

 

* * *

 

It only took a few minutes for the two of them to see Logan dragging Patton out of Deceit’s room, slamming the door behind them.  They could all hear Deceit’s echoing laughter before the door cut him off. Virgil scowled.

 

“I really,  _ really _ hate him,” He hissed, his voice making Patton look up and see him.  Instantly, his face brightened and he rushed over to wrap Virgil in a tight hug.  Virgil winced, patting his back once before lightly pushing him off. Patton released him from the circulation-stopping hug, but kept him in an embrace nonetheless.

 

“Oh my gosh, you’re okay!” Patton whispered excitedly.  “I was  _ so  _ worried, but you know I had faith in those two to save you and I’m just glad you’re okay because Deceit really didn’t seem to care about what I was saying and so it was really up to them to-”

 

“-Patton.” Virgil gave him a small smile to cut him off.  “Can you let go? Not really in the best condition for a hug right now.”

 

Patton glanced down and saw the slice on his chest, which had been quickly bound with manifested bandages while Virgil and Roman were waiting, but it was still clearly a wound.  Patton’s eyes widened and he gasped.

 

“What happened?  Are you okay? We are getting you back up to your room and you are  _ resting _ , it’s time to put your obsessive love of sleeping to good use, alright you bright wonderful shadowling?” He spoke in rushed words, still in his rambling mindset and fussing over Virgil in a way that had the wounded side chuckling.

 

“I won’t argue with sleeping for a day or so,  _ dad _ ,” He replied, grinning a little at Patton.  “Glad you’re okay.”

 

A beat passed, and Virgil sighed.

“But, um, Roman is gonna need rest too, then,” He muttered, looking at the floor as Patton helped prop him on his shoulder.  At his words, Patton looked quizzically at Roman, seemingly just noticing his own injuries. 

 

“He certainly will!” Patton began to walk Virgil down the hall, towards the end of the dark side of the mind.  “You two are both quarantined to your rooms until you heal.”

 

“Patton it has been a long day already, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from making this day any stranger by using long words,” Logan sighed, adjusting his glasses as Patton grinned at him.

 

“Alright, Logan.  I’ll make sure the number of big words I use remains…” He paused as Logan’s gaze grew sharper, “ _ infinitesimal. _ ”

 

Logan’s screech of indignation was muffled by Roman’s hand, but none of the other three could contain their laughter, despite the pain it brought two of them.  Virgil’s eyes caught Roman’s, and he gave him a look, hoping he would understand. He didn’t want to make a big scene, not after Patton had lightened the mood, but he needed to apologize to Roman for hurting him.  He tried to look as apologetic as possible, and Roman gave him a soft smile, a rare but nice occurrence. Roman nodded, a small movement, but it was enough for Virgil, for now. For now, at least, he could accept that Roman forgave him.  

 

They stayed in the hallway for only a minute more, all of them itching to leave the dreary walls of this area behind them.  It was Virgil who broke their silence, sighing and shifting against Patton. 

 

“Not that I don’t love standing quietly in dark hallways with all of you, seriously it’s my favorite past time,” He started, ignoring the half-hearted teasing glare from Roman, “but my chest does still hurt, and I’m tired.  Can we go home?”

 

Another silence followed, and Virgil was worried for a second that they didn’t hear him.  Then he worried that something was wrong. Was there something behind him? Was it Deceit?  What if he took Virgil’s Light again? Virgil couldn’t take that, not again, he  _ wouldn’t _ , he-

 

Oh.  Patton was looking at him, and his eyes gave Virgil the answer as to what was happening.  They were bright, shimmering with a mirth and happiness that was always calming from Patton, but there was also an overwhelming sense of pride.  Pride? What had he done? He thought back to what he said, and his thoughts caught on one word.  _ Home _ .  He had never called the lighter side home before.  He hadn’t called either side home. He felt like his home was probably somewhere in the middle, somewhere where he could be light, but not all light because he felt he couldn’t be.  But after all this, he knew that home was where he was comfortable, and where he knew people cared about him, not where he fit in perfectly. He gave Patton a small, barely there, (infinitesimal), smile.  Patton, in return, pulled him a little closer, hugging him as best he could while keeping wary of his chest. He gave Virgil a beaming grin, a thin sheen of unshed tears of joy in his eyes as he turned back to the other two and started walking.  

 

“Yeah, Virge,” He said, his joy and love audible in his voice.  “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i was listening to Angels Fall by Breaking Benjamin while writing that fight scene and dang do the lyrics fit???? weird. also the lyrics to Bury a Friend by Billie Eilish, they also kind of fit this chapter? idk i just like thinking of lyrics that fit things. 
> 
> anyway, i hope you all enjoyed! this was a lot of fun to write even thought i swore i wouldnt write for sanders sides even though i now have a ton of ideas i wanna do! so thats fun. maybe ill get around to writing some of those soon.

**Author's Note:**

> the other two parts should be up by the end of the week!! i hope you liked it.


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